2007 Darwin Awards

Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of
evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene
pool by removing themselves from it.

Pushmi-Pullyu
2007 Darwin Award Nominee
Confirmed True by Darwin

(4 April 2007, Germany) Near midnight, a 49-year-old man attempted to
impress his wife with his unbelievable strength. He climbed over the
balcony of their 7th floor flat, clung to the outside of the parapet, and
began a set of pull-ups. After a few pull-ups, which were undoubtedly
impressive to his wife, his sedentary lifestyle began to take its toll.
His muscles lost strength, and he was unable to lift himself back onto the
balcony. He eventually fell seven stories (eight if you include the ground
floor) and impaled himself on a thornbush. Ouch! The official verdict
placed the blame squarely and pointedly on the macho showmanship of the
deceased.

The pushmi-pullyu is a
fictional Doctor Doolittle animal with two heads at opposite ends
of its body. When it tries to move, both heads try to pull in
opposite directions."

(9 October 2007, Ohio) The German man is not alone in his efforts to
impress a woman. An 18-year-old was lured by the siren song of the guard
rail onto his girlfriend's 11th floor balcony. Attempting to impress the
lady, he too began a set of pull-ups, only to lose his grip and plummet
eleven stories (ten if you omit the ground floor) to land face-down on the
parking lot. The Ohio coroner was more charitable than his German
counterpart. This death was ruled accidental.